


dance with me and i'll soothe your pain

by Felurian



Series: we found love in a hopeless place [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/F, Finn and Rey are BJFF (Best Jedi Friends Forever), Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Finn, Force-Sensitive Rose Tico, Friendship, Humor, In a way, Jedi Finn, Jedi Rey, M/M, Rey Skywalker, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 13:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13705440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felurian/pseuds/Felurian
Summary: In Cloud City, as General Organa and Lando Calrissian desperately search for allies in the war with the First Order, a banquet is held. While the Resistance leaders try their best to ensign the help of mercenaries, Rey finds herself forced to confront with the girl from her visions, Rose Tico.Secrets are uncovered and a bond is formed. All in the name of the Force.[Direct sequel to 'i'll see you (in my dreams)'. Can be read as standalone, though it will definitely make more sense as a whole!]





	dance with me and i'll soothe your pain

**Author's Note:**

> here i am, back with this story! i felt extremely disheartened about star wars after tlj but... well, i guess that's what fanfiction is for? i hope you enjoy! <3

**ACT II**

 

_part I: The Friend_

The view from the Cloud City is mesmerizing. Rey catches herself staring through the vast window more often than she should, her face practically pressed against the glass. It's so different from the monotony of Jakku sands — it's warm, yes, but in another way. The colours change throughout the day, from pinks at dawn, to blues at the noon and intense oranges before darkness falls upon the city. She's never seen anything like it and finds herself enchanted by it.

That seems to please the Baron Administrator of Cloud City to no end. His name is Lando Calrissian and, as Rey learns, he's a close friend of General Organa and Master Luke. A _very close_ friend of Master Luke, she discovers, upon creeping into Luke's chamber for a training session only to see him enveloped in the intimate embrace of Lando's arms. She doesn't mind — it brings a smile to her face, to finally see her master at peace, the deep lines of his face smoothed, a sparkle in his blue eyes. There's sadness, too, but she found that it never really disappears from his gaze. Especially when he looks at her when he thinks she can't see, his eyes more troubled than ever. It unnerves her. What unnerves her, even more, is that Lando shares that look sometimes and she has no idea why.

A chuckle from behind her forces Rey to turn around, away from the reinforced transparisteel window. She smiles at the sight of Finn.

"Still admiring the view, Rey?" He asks, amused, walking up to her. While his tone is teasing, his eyes are full of warmth and not for the first time, Rey finds herself thankful for the Force bringing their ways together.

She shrugs. "It's pretty."

"That it is. But," Finn looks pointedly at her simple leggings and tunic, "I can't understand why you're sitting with your face in the window while we have a _banquet_ to attend to."

It's only then when Rey notices Finn's formal clothing. His usual leather jacket is replaced by a cream suit with a golden thread running across the lapels. On his shoulders rests cape in the colour of burnt orange, decorated with the same gold embroidery and she can't help but think that he looks very royal. Rey has no doubt Lando had a say in his choice of outfit, though, and wonders briefly whether Poe has seen him yet.

It's not a secret in the Resistance that Poe fancies Finn. A lot. She asked him, once, on a dinner during which he stared longingly after Finn talking with lieutenant Connix, why doesn't he tell Finn how he feels. Poe looked at her then, a little wistful, and said that he doesn't want to pressure him. That he wants to make sure they're on the same page when they take this step. "Besides," he added after a moment, watching as Master Luke approached Finn, "he has more important things to do now."

Rey thinks it's a bunch of bantha's shit, because anyone with two eyes — or one, or three, really, it doesn't matter — could see that they _both_ hold affection for each other. Still, she finds Poe's antics sweet. It warms her heart that it's him who's seeking after Finn.

"I don't think I'm going," Rey finally speaks. "It's... not really my thing, you know. Banquets." She laughs nervously.

"Oh?" Finn raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "And just how many banquets have you been on back on Jakku, miss Jedi?"

Rey resists the urge to blush. He makes a good point. "I'll have you know that the banquets in Niima Outpost were very fancy events, thank you very much, _mister Jedi_."

It's Finn's turn to bashfully look down at the nickname she's given him. His Force-sensitivity is still something of an unsteady ground, even though he has joined her on the training with Master Luke. He was more than reluctant at first, fear and surprise in his eyes as Luke first told him about his powers. Rey knows the feeling all too well.

"Well," Finn clears his throat, "even the Jedi have to attend. To boost the morale and so on, you know."

"We don't even _know_ anything," Rey whines. "Everyone is going to want to talk with General Organa and Lando but not us. They're the ones who wanted this stupid banquet in the first place. I don't understand why we have to go."

"To look dashing next to them?" Finn offers with a grin and Rey, despite her annoyance, snorts.

"It just seems stupid, you know. To have banquets while we should be, I don't know, fighting the First Order. Hunting down Ren, maybe," she doesn't even try to hide the anger in her voice. "They're out there and we're wasting our time on drinking and dancing."

Finn nods patiently. "I know, Rey." He sits on the grey couch in front of the window and motions her to do the same. She obliges, though not without showing that she's not happy about it all, arms crossed over her chest as she plops down next to him.

"There's nothing more I want than to bring the First Order down," he speaks. Then, a hint of a smile appears on his lips. "Well, almost nothing. But the point is, while I'd love to be out there, to make those bastards pay for all they've done, we can't just barge onto Finalizer and fight their army. And then a dozen more Star Destroyers. We need more than just us for that."

"Well, we have three Jedi, that should count for something, no?" She frowns. "Four, if you count in General Organa, although I'm not sure she'd be willing to use a lightsaber on the battlefield."

"That's the thing, Rey. Having Master Luke with us, it's an incredible asset. But it's not enough to save the galaxy, I'm afraid. War doesn't work like that. We need any resources we can gather, any allies we can find and that's what tonight is about. Not everyone is willing to fight just for a cause. With Lando's help, we can convince those people to join us."

"You mean buy them," she grunts, her eyes dark. Finn sighs.

"Yeah, I mean buy them," he agrees, surprising her.

Silence falls upon them then, though it's not uncomfortable by any means. They clicked immediately after meeting each other, but when Finn found out about his Force-sensitivity, they became even closer. Formed a bond of sorts. Rey appreciates it more than she lets on, relishing in the fact that she actually has people she can call _friends_ now.

She ponders on his words. Rey knows that her knowledge of the galaxy is still limited — she's constantly learning, going into the library straight from the Force training sessions to study old datapads, but there's just _so much_ of it. So much knowledge she didn't even know existed. Sometimes, she catches herself thinking that things were much easier when she was still on Jakku and her only worry was finding enough parts to get a portion from Unkar Plutt. No need to know how the Republic fell more than once, the Clone Wars, the destruction of the Jedi Order. None of it mattered.

Of course, she knows now that's not true. And while sometimes she sneaks out from her study to watch the sky instead of reading the boring datapads, letting the Force wrap around her, Rey knows that this is where she belongs. Alongside Finn and Master Luke, and the Resistance.

Although the politics part of it all isn't really her forte. No, she prefers to stab things with her lightsaber rather than dabble in that art.

"Well then," Finn speaks up, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Will you please come to the banquet, so I won't have to be the only soon-to-be-Jedi there?"

Rey doesn't even try to fight the grin that spreads on her lips, but still, she pretends to think over his offer. In all truth, they both know that she will come — from the moment that Finn appeared in her room, she was on the loser's position.

"I really don't know..."

"Oh, come on. Rose will be there," he says, waggling his eyebrows and Rey almost chokes. She really hopes that the warmth on her face isn't showing up as an awful blush but judging by Finn's amused expression, that is not the case.

"What— what do you mean?", she finally sputters. Finn remains unimpressed, giving her a look that says You-Are-So-Not-Fooling-Me. Rey glances sideways, unable to handle his knowing gaze.

She hasn't really talked much to Rose since the Battle of Crait. Oh, she wanted to, Force knows she did but so far, something has been stopping her. Whenever Rey stumbled upon her in the corridors — which, thankfully, wasn't often since they arrived on Cloud City — she was reduced to a stuttering mess, trying to patch up a sentence. How was she supposed to talk to her, after all? Casually throw in that she has been having visions of her while making small talk? That would surely scare her off. Rey knows herself that the visions on Rose she had back on Ahch-to while comforting, scare her, for she has no idea what they mean. Or why would she be even having them in the first place. Or why didn't Rose join Master Luke in the trainings if she was his former student.

Once they met, the visions stopped. Rey welcomed that with both relief and disappointment, but at least it made things less awkward whenever she saw Rose. Not that it wasn't awkward, because it still was, and on the top of it all, Rose seemed to enjoy teasing Rey. It was a never-ending circle of torture.

For the first time in her life, Rey had absolutely no idea what to do.

"Come on, Rey. It's been _weeks_. You've gotta talk to her!" Finn says, forcing her to look at him.

"But—"

"Nope. No buts. Look, you've been mooning over Rose since Crait and you had kriffin' _Force visions_ about her, that has to mean something! If you won't talk to her, I will."

Fear floods Rey's body as she stares at him with mouth wide open.

"You wouldn't!"

Finn rolls his eyes. "Of course not, dummy. But you really do have to talk to her, you know." His gaze softens and he smiles at her. She nervously returns the gesture.

"Alright, alright. I'll come. But," she cuts in just as a satisfied grin spreads on his face, "I make no promises when it comes to Rose."

Finn sighs, standing up. "Well, that's half a victory, I suppose. Please try to seek her out, at least. You might be surprised at what she has to say to you."

Before she has any chance to ask what he meant by _that,_ Finn is already out of the room, the door closing with a swoosh behind him. For a second, she sits on the couch completely at loss for what to do. Then, slowly, determinedly, Rey stands up. After all, she did duel Kylo Ren — not once, but twice — and managed to survive. Surely a banquet with a girl from her visions can't be worse than that.

Even if she has no idea what kind of outfit Leia and Lando have prepared for her.


End file.
